{"id":5094,"date":"2023-06-07T16:43:37","date_gmt":"2023-06-07T23:43:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/portlandartmuseum.org\/?page_id=5094"},"modified":"2025-12-11T12:24:06","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T20:24:06","slug":"campus-transformation","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/portlandartmuseum.org\/campus-transformation\/","title":{"rendered":"Museum Transformation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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As the only major arts museum between Seattle and San Francisco\u2014Portland Art Museum is a vital cultural resource serving as a civic cornerstone, educational resource, and beacon of inspiration for the people who live, work, and visit the city of Portland. It serves as a \u201ccultural commons\u201d drawing together local, regional, national, and global audiences to connect through the arts and engage with the stories and ideas shaping our world. Through the Connection Campaign, we strengthened these ties by expanding our campus, growing our endowment, and investing in Downtown Portland\u2014all made possible by our generous supporters<\/a>.
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Expansion & renovation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The Connection Campaign has completely transformed the Museum and created a vital \u201ccultural commons\u201d in the heart of downtown Portland. Now open, the project added 100,000 square feet of new or upgraded public and gallery space, provides increased access to our exhibitions and programs, offers new ways to experience the robust collection, and adds new amenities for diverse audiences.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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This once-in-a-generation transformation affirms the Museum\u2019s mission to connect people and art through experiences that broaden our perspectives. It also underscores Downtown Portland\u2019s cultural and civic importance.
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\"Exterior
View of the Portland Art Museum\u2019s Mark Rothko Pavilion, Tim and Mary Boyle West Plaza. Featured artwork: the sun by Ugo Rondinone. Photo by Jeremy Bittermann, 2025.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Exterior
View of the Mark Rothko Pavilion, East Plaza, and Main View of the Mark Rothko Pavilion, Brian Ferriso East Plaza, and Main Building. Photo by Jeremy Bittermann, 2025.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Transparency & access<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A pillar of the Connection Campaign is reflecting shared community values of transparency, accessibility, and inclusivity.\u00a0 The new Mark Rothko Pavilion, named in honor of the renowned artist<\/a> who grew up in Portland, provides a central and welcoming \u201cfront door\u201d to the Museum, featuring a glass facade opening onto a public plaza, an open main commons, and seamless connectivity between the Museum\u2019s two historic buildings. All people, regardless of their individual capabilities, can enjoy ease of access<\/a> throughout the Museum\u2019s spaces.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Everybody<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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We\u2019re bringing the energy of our transformed Museum\u00a0 to the wider Portland community with Everybody Is An Art Person\u2013 a citywide awareness campaign that celebrates the idea that art belongs to everyone. In partnership with local businesses, we\u2019re \u00a0 creating unique collaborations that highlight all kinds of art (and all kinds of art people), inviting the entire city to see themselves in the museum and in the creative spirit of Portland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Learn more<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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New ways to engage with art<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Visitors can now encounter an entirely new Museum experience, complete with reinstalled galleries, more intuitive pathways to discover art, and increased visibility for noteworthy collections. The Museum is fundamentally a center for arts education, which is why the capital project was complemented by efforts to permanently endow priorities like a new collection of Black Art & Experiences, as well as support for our important collection of Native American Art, which is the most visited collection by school tours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expanded public and gallery spaces allow the Museum to expand Learning and Community Partnership spaces, improve classrooms, and broaden representation in the collection, including new acquisitions by a roster of renowned regional and international artists. We also continue to expand and showcase media arts and storytelling throughout the Museum, especially in the Whitsell Auditorium and adjacent new media gallery.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Interior
View of the Whitsell Family Gallery in the Mark Rothko Pavilion of the Portland Art Museum, looking Northwest. Photo by Jeremy Bittermann, 2025.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Interior
View of the new Eugene and Bonnie Skourtes Gallery at the Portland Art Museum, facing South. Photo by Jeremy Bittermann, 2025.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Reflection & gathering<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Connection Campaign has helped enhance the Museum experience with new spaces for gathering, learning, and rest. A state-of-the-art learning studio and a dedicated gallery for student and community artwork give school groups and the community a place to gather and reflect on their tours and engage in hands-on activities related to their studies. The expanded caf\u00e9 and store offer a modern shopping and dining experience, while outdoor terraces with elevated views and accessible public plazas offer beautiful areas for socializing and rest.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Securing the future of art<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To enhance access, exhibitions, and programming at the Portland Art Museum, the Connection Campaign sought to strengthen our endowment. Although our Museum excels in access, space, and collection size, our endowment provides just 16% of our operating budget\u2014far below the 20-40% average of North American art museums. This funding gap leaves us vulnerable to changes in admissions, membership, and external support.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Growing our endowment beyond the Connection Campaign is essential. Endowed funds are invested in perpetuity, generating income that sustains operations and programming. This financial stability helps weather economic fluctuations and unforeseen challenges. Endowment funds are put to work each year to support free and reduced access programs, community programs, curatorial leadership, and much more.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\n\t\t\t\u201cThe Portland Art Museum’s redesigned, glass-ensconced addition, due to open in late 2025, will make viewing easier and could be a boon to an ailing downtown.\u201d\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tFraming the Rothko Pavilion\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\u00a0Oregon ArtsWatch<\/a>\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/cite>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Project team<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Architects<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In consultation with Vinci Hamp Architects, the Museum is working with Hennebery Eddy Architects for the pre-design phase of the project. Vinci Hamp Architects, known for its work with museums and historic preservation, counts the Art Institute of Chicago, the Milwaukee Art Museum, and award-winning projects including the Illinois State Capitol, Chicago Tribune Tower, and Frank Lloyd Wright\u2019s Home and Studio among its roster of clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Portland-based Hennebery Eddy Architects is an architecture, planning, and interior design studio with specialty focus in historic resources. Projects include the Pietro Belluschi-designed The Reserve building in downtown Portland, Yellowstone National Park Youth Campus, Oregon State\u2019s Strand Agriculture Hall, and the Albina Vision Plan for NE and NW Portland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Community<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Among the groups and constituents who have been involved in feedback and approvals are the Museum Equity Team and Accessibility Advisory Committee, Portland\u2019s City Council and Historic Landmarks Commission, elected officials, and many community and cultural organizations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Construction<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Mortenson has a deep history in the arts and culture community with its construction of hundreds of projects around the country, including the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Denver Art Museum, the Visual Arts Complex at the University of Colorado Boulder, the Denver Museum of Contemporary Art, University of Iowa\u2019s Hancher Auditorium, and the Walker Art Museum in Minneapolis. Their Portland office employs nearly 150 people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Urban Resources, Inc. is a Portland construction management company with experience in cultural, civic, and higher education projects, including the Japanese Garden expansion, The Columbia Gorge Discovery Center, and The Crocker Art Museum expansion in Sacramento, CA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n\t\t\t\u201cVinci Hamp have shown great skill and sensitivity in all the work they\u2019ve done, whether it\u2019s working with traditional historic preservation or working with more contemporary projects.\u201d\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tBlair Kamin\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tChicago Tribune\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/cite>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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News<\/h2>\n\n\n
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    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPortland Art Museum completes $116 million capital campaign in advance of November 2025 opening\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPortland Art Museum celebrates opening of major expansion with four days of free admission\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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